1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to plant protein screening. More specifically, the invention relates to a high-throughput method or system for quantifying plant seed proteins (e.g. plant allergens) based on mass spectrometry.
2. Background
Plant seeds, such as nuts and legumes, are the major provider of oils and bulk protein for the world, and new varieties are continually being created or discovered. However, plants seeds are also the major contributors of allergenic proteins that cause a majority of the reported cases of food-induced anaphylaxis. Thus, commercial and newly developed or discovered plants need to be screened for their relative and/or absolute allergen content before they are introduced into food products.